"There is not a black America and a white America and Latino America and Asian America—there's the United States of America." —Barack Obama

"To be a Virginian either by birth, marriage, adoption, or even on one's mother's side, is an introduction to any state in the Union, a passport to any foreign country, and a benediction from above." —Anonymous"The 2010 Census numbers underscore how the home of the former capital of the Confederacy is evolving into a mosaic of races and ethnicities from around the world." —The Washington Post

Virginia has one of the fastest-growing Hispanic immigrant populations in the country, yet, unlike states such as California, Texas, Arizona, and Florida, the Commonwealth has not historically had a large Hispanic presence. Nuestra Virginia, a forthcoming anthology of short stories, essays, and poems, seeks to give the state's Hispanic immigrants and their children the ink, the pages, and the distribution to share their ideas and experiences. Quail Bell Press & Productions will be accepting submissions for the book through February 2014.

Writers must meet one of the following conditions in order for their work to be considered:

• Been born and/or raised in Latin America and immigrated to Virginia• Have at least one parent, grandparent, or guardian who was born and/or raised in Latin America and immigrated to Virginia

Nuestra Virginia is scheduled for a 2015 release and will be distributed across Virginia and Washington, D.C. Published writers will receive a byline, a contributor's copy, and royalties.

Submission Process

Please follow this process in order to have your piece considered for Nuestra Virginia:

1. Format and email your piece(s) and cover letter according to "Submission & Cover Letter Guidelines."2.Allow up to 6 months for review, when all writers will be notified of acceptance or rejection.

Submission & Cover Letter Guidelines

Please email your submission with NUESTRA VIRGINIA: [your name] in the subject line. Include a brief cover letter in the body of the email, with your submission as a .DOC, .ODT, or .RTX file. You may submit up to 2 pieces. In your cover letter, specify your name, nationality, and brief explanation of Hispanic heritage. If you wish, you may also mention your previous writing experience and education. However, experienced authors will not be given any preference over new ones. Your piece will be evaluated upon its literary merit, social or historical relevance, and overall suitability for our anthology. All writers will receive a brief critique, regardless of piece acceptance or rejection, prior to book publication. Submissions sent without an accompanying reading fee will not be considered.